Conventional wireless telecommunications systems are composed of several distinct pieces of interconnected equipment, each carrying out various functions. For instance, a conventional wireless telecommunications system, designed pursuant to the current Global System for Mobile Communications (abbreviated GSM) standard, may include (1) a transcoder and rate adaption system for processing voice/speech data, and (2) an interworking function system for processing data/fax data (the interworking function system also performs rate adaption). The systems are typically comprised of separate components, such that telecommunications channels carrying voice/speech data that are processed by the transcoder and rate adaption system must be switched to a different component or system than telecommunications channels carrying data/fax data.
The separation of systems or components within a wireless telecommunications system results in numerous disadvantages. One disadvantage is that switching and transmission delays may be incurred in order to process the telecommunications data because the transcoder and rate adaption system and the interworking function system may be physically located in different locations. Another disadvantage that results from having separate systems or components is that additional equipment is required in order to provide the same level of functionality for all possible service conditions. For example, if all telecommunications channels that are being processed at a given instant may be either voice/speech data or data/fax data, then the transcoder and rate adaption system and the interworking function system must each be sized to handle this maximum capacity, even the total loading of the combined systems at any given instant can never exceed 50 percent.
Many significant disadvantages are thus encountered by conventional wireless telecommunications systems. What is therefore needed is a wireless telecommunications system that allows voice/speech telecommunications data and data/fax telecommunications data to be processed with additional processing and switching delays and without the need for idle capacity in equipment.